Alloy Artifacts

Exploring Ingenuity in Iron ...

Van-Chrome and the Rise of Alloy Steels

In 1929 Herbrand filed a registration for their "Van-Chrome" trademark,
with the first use date listed as 1919.
Although we don't have any catalogs or advertisements to show their earliest tools,
the 1919 date would make it the earliest known trademark denoting alloy steel in hand tools.

Herbrand's first alloy-steel tools were probably tappet wrenches,
as these tools exposed the inadequacy of carbon-steel for this application.

Tappet Wrenches

Tappet wrenches were one of the earliest tools to employ alloy steels,
as the thin profile of the wrench demanded the strongest possible steel.
Herbrand's earliest tappet wrenches were marked "Vanadium Motor Tappet" and are presumed to be
made of vanadium (or chrome vanadium) steel.

Early "Vanadium Motor Tappet" H-1 7/16x1/2 Tappet Wrench

We'll begin this section with some examples of early "Vanadium Motor Tappet" wrenches.

Fig. 40 shows an early Herbrand H-1 7/16x1/2 tappet wrench,
marked with "Vanadium Motor Tappet" forged into the shank,
and stamped with the Herbrand script logo and "Fremont, O. U.S.A." at the left.
The faces are stamped with the fractional sizes,
with the model number on the reverse.

H-3 5/8x11/16 Tappet Wrench

The overall length is 8.0 inches.
The finish is nickel plating,
with minor losses due to wear.

H-4 3/4x7/8 Tappet Wrenches

Fig. 46. Herbrand H-4 3/4x7/8 Tappet Wrenches.

Fig. 46 presents two generations of the Herbrand H-4 3/4x7/8 tappet wrench.
The bottom wrench is the older model,
marked "Vanadium Tappet" with the Herbrand script logo and "Fremont, O. U.S.A." below.
The finish of this wrench is plain steel.

The top wrench is marked "Herbrand Tappet" with "Made in U.S.A",
and is finished in nickel plate.
Both wrenches have an overall length of 9.0 inches.

You may have noticed that the top wrench isn't marked "Vanadium" or "Van-Chrome",
and possibly wondered about the omission.
The explanation appears on the reverse (although in coded form),
where the number "8640" is forged in raised letters.

The "8640" mark indicates that the wrench was forged from AISI 8640 steel,
a medium-hardening alloy with nickel, chromium, and molybdenum,
but no vanadium.
This was an equivalent or superior steel for the application,
but without the vanadium content,
Herbrand felt obliged to change their marking.

H-5 5/8x7/8 Tappet Wrench

The Herbrand H-1 through H-4 tappet wrench models are well-known and quite common,
but the company also produced a model H-5 5/8x7/8 tappet wrench that less commonly found.

Fig. 47. Herbrand H-5 5/8x7/8 Tappet Wrench.

Fig. 47 shows an example of the Herbrand H-5 tappet wrench,
marked "Vanadium Tappet" with "Fremont, O. U.S.A." and the Herbrand script logo.
The wrench sizes are marked as 5/8 and 7/8 on the reverse,
though unfortunately a previous owner has widened the 7/8 opening for some other purpose.

The overall length is 9.0 inches,
and the finish is plain steel.

LT-13 9/16 Single-Ended Long Tappet Wrench

Herbrand also offered an LT series of long tappet wrenches with a single opening.

The overall length is 9.3 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

Obstruction Wrenches

Obstruction wrenches are a specialized form of open-end wrench designed for improved
access to restricted spaces.
Typically the wrench openings are offset at large angles from the shank axis,
but the particular design varied from company to company.
Herbrand's design used two openings of the same size,
with one opening at a 90-degree offset and the other at 45 degrees.
(Some examples of alternate obstruction wrench styles can be seen in the
Bonney 2031 Obstruction Wrench
or
Williams 2028S Obstruction Wrench.)

Herbrand produced these wrenches in an 18xx model number series,
with six sizes ranging from the model 1821 (3/8) up to 1831 (3/4).
Our earliest catalog reference for the wrenches is the
1932 Western Auto catalog,
which lists all six of the obstruction wrenches,
as well as other Herbrand wrenches.
The catalog text doesn't mention Herbrand by name,
but the illustration clearly shows the Herbrand script logo.
It's likely that the obstruction wrenches were available by the late 1920s,
although currently we have no Herbrand catalog coverage for that time.

1823 7/16x7/16 Obstruction Wrench

Fig. 56 shows a Herbrand 1823 7/16x7/16 obstruction wrench,
stamped with the fractional sizes on the faces,
with the model number and Herbrand script logo on the reverse.

The overall length is 5.5 inches,
and the finish is plain steel.

The plain steel finish indicates production during the 1942-1945 wartime years.

A close look at the shank in the top inset shows that a forged-in "Van-Chrome" marking
has been (mostly) removed by grinding.
One possible explanation is that an older forging die with the incised Van-Chrome marking
was placed back into production during the war,
but since substitute steels were being used due to material shortages,
the incorrect alloy marking had to be ground off afterwards.

Ignition Wrenches

No. 85 9/32x1/4 Ignition Wrench

Fig. 58 shows a Herbrand "Van-Chrome" No. 85 9/32x1/4 ignition wrench with a panelled shank,
stamped with the Herbrand name and model on the shank,
with "Van-Chrome" and the fractional sizes on the reverse,
and with "Made in U.S.A." on the reverse face.

The overall length is 3.5 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

No. 87 11/32x3/8 Ignition Wrench

Fig. 59 shows a Herbrand "Van-Chrome" No. 87 11/32x3/8 ignition wrench with a panelled shank,
stamped with the Herbrand name and model number on shank,
with "Van-Chrome" and the fractional sizes on the reverse,
and with "Made in U.S.A." on the reverse face.

The overall length is 4.0 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

"Multihex" Box-End Wrenches

Herbrand probably began producing double-hex (12-point) box-end wrenches in the late 1920s,
but currently we don't have catalog resources to document this period.
Our earliest catalog reference for these tools is a 1932 Western Auto Supply catalog,
which offered Herbrand "Multihex" box wrenches in angled and offset styles.
The "Multihex" mark was intended to signify the double-hex broached openings,
which allowed better access in tight places.

We'll begin this section with some early examples of "Multihex" offset box wrenches.

3723 "Van-Chrome Multihex" 3/8x7/16 Offset Box Wrench

Fig. 60 shows an early Herbrand 3723 3/8x7/16 offset box-end wrench,
marked "Van-Chrome" and "Multihex" with the Herbrand script logo,
and with "Made in U.S.A." on the reverse.

The overall length is 8.5 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished ends.

The top inset shows a side view of the wrench,
illustrating the deep offset of this design.

The middle inset shows a close-up of the Herbrand script logo,
and the text "Fremont, O" and "Since 1881" can be seen if the photograph is enlarged.
This is a variant of the usual "Fremont, O. U.S.A." marking,
and is believed to be an early form.

3725B 1/2x9/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 64 shows a somewhat later Herbrand 3725B 1/2x9/16 offset box-end wrench,
marked "Made in U.S.A." on the oval-shaped shank.
(Note that the "Van-Chrome" and "Multihex" brands are not marked on this tool.)

The overall length is 9.2 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating.

The inset shows a profile view of the wrench with its deep offset design.

1731B 13/16x7/8 Open-End Wrench with 8742 Steel

The overall length is 9.3 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

The inset shows the forged-in "8742" code on the reverse,
though it's very faint and difficult to read.
This code indicates the use of AISI 8742 steel,
a nickel-chrome-molybdenum alloy.

1723 3/8x7/16 Open-End Wrench with AISI 1340 Steel

During the wartime years of 1942-1945,
material shortages sometimes forced changes in the finish or composition of tools.
Changes to the finish usually meant substitution of cadmium for the standard nickel
or chrome plating,
and so were obvious on inspection.
But when the tool steel itself had to be changed,
Herbrand was unusually forthright by noting the specific alloy used.

1731-B 13/16x7/8 Open-End Wrench with 1340 Steel

In Fig. 76 we see a Herbrand 1731-B 7/16x1/2 open-end wrench,
marked "Made in U.S.A." with a forged-in "1340" on the reverse,
and without a Van-Chrome trademark.
The overall length is 9.4 inches,
and the finish is cadmium plating over a rough forged surface.

The inset shows the forged-in number "1340",
indicating the use of AISI 1340 steel,
a carbon-manganese steel with good hardening properties.

As we saw previously in a
Herbrand 1723 Wrench,
AISI 1340 steel was sometimes used as a substitute for chrome alloy steel.
The cadmium finish and substitute steel indicate a likely manufacturing date from 1942-1945.

The overall length is 6.6 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

The inset shows the forged number "8742" appearing on the reverse,
indicating the use of AISI 8742 steel,
an alloy with nickel, chromium, and molybdenum.

1831 Obstruction Wrench with AISI 8642 Steel

Fig. 79. Herbrand 1831 3/4x3/4 Obstruction Wrench.

Fig. 79 shows a Herbrand 1831 3/4x3/4 obstruction wrench,
stamped "Made in U.S.A." on the shank.
The shank is also marked with a "8642" code visible at the right.

The overall length is 7.6 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces.

The forged-in marking "8642" indicates the use of AISI 8642 steel,
an alloy with nickel, chromium, and molybdenum.

T-Series Tappet Wrenches

Herbrand later developed a new style of tappet wrench with a novel opening shape,
designed to contact the nut in the center of the flats instead of at the corners.
The new series also featured raised ribs running the length of the shank (on both sides)
and was first offered in models T1-T4.

The new opening style was apparently not well received (perhaps being ahead if its time),
and Herbrand subsequently offered a T-2x series of tappet wrenches,
retaining the raised ribs but with conventional openings.

Fig. 89 at the left shows a later Herbrand 5731-A 3/4x7/8 box-end wrench,
stamped "Made in U.S.A." on the shank.
A forged-in number "8742" can be seen near the righthand box end.

The overall length is 11.3 inches,
and the finish is plain steel with a rough-forged surface.

The "8742" code forged into the shank indicates the use of AISI 8742 steel,
a nickel, chromium, and molybdenum alloy frequently used by Herbrand.
(In fact, the 1941 Herbrand catalog listing for this model notes the use of
chrome-molybdenum steel.)

Although this wrench is not marked "Angular Multihex",
the design and construction are the same as the previous example,
and the 1941 catalog still refers to these as Multihex box wrenches.
The rough, unplated finish of this example,
together with marking differences and use of the 8742 alloy,
suggest a manufacturing date in 1942 or 1943.

"Ultrabox" Box Wrenches

The next several figures show examples of the Herbrand 39xx series of offset box wrenches,
a distinctive panelled design called "Ultra-Box" wrenches in the catalogs.
A catalog search found these models listed in the 1935 Herbrand catalog,
but not yet offered among the Herbrand tools in the 1935-36 Thorsen catalog,
so the Ultra-Box wrenches were likely introduced in 1935.
(Third-party catalogs may be updated more slowly than the manufacturer's own publications.)
The standard finish was nickel plating at that time,
but by 1941 the finish was chrome plating over nickel.

The raised panel design used on these wrenches (and other models) was apparently patented by Herbrand,
based on the claims in their catalogs,
but the (design) patent hasn't been located yet.

3929 "Ultra-Box" 5/8x11/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 91 shows a Herbrand 3929 5/8x11/16 offset box-end wrench,
marked "Made in U.S.A." on the raised panel.
(The markings are only partially struck due to a ground-down edge on the panel,
but it appears to have happened at the factory,
as the plated finish is intact.)

The overall length is 9.7 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished faces and ends.

The inset shows the small "8742" number forged into the reverse side,
which indicates the use of AISI 8742 steel.
This alloy steel contains nickel, chromium, and molybdenum,
but no vanadium,
and Herbrand has accordingly omitted the Van-Chrome trademark.

3933 7/8x15/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Fig. 93 shows a Herbrand 3933 7/8x15/16 offset box-end wrench with raised panels,
marked "Van-Chrome" and "Made in U.S.A." with the Herbrand name in script.
(There are no markings on the reverse.)
The overall length is 13.4 inches.

The finish is nickel plating,
with some finish loss due to rust.

A small forged-in number "17" appears near the left box end,
though it's difficult to see in the photograph.
This number has been noted on other Herbrand tools as well,
and may be another specification for the steel type;
however, the interpretation is unknown at this time.

3935 1x1-1/16 Offset Box-End Wrench

Our next figure shows another example of the 393x series,
similar to the previous figures but without the raised panels on the shank.
(According to the catalogs,
the larger models in the 39xx series were not offered in the panelled design.)

This wrench is not marked with the "Van-Chrome" trademark,
but does show a forged-in number "8642" on the reverse shank,
indicating the use of AISI 8642 steel.
AISI 8642 steel is an alloy of nickel, chromium, and molybdenum,
and this steel was frequently used by Herbrand.

6923 Box-End Wrench

The overall length is 4.4 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating with polished panels and ends.

This wrench is not marked with the "Van-Chrome" trademark,
but does show a forged-in number "8642" indicating the use of AISI 8642 steel.
The 8642 steel is an alloy of nickel, chromium, and molybdenum
with a slightly higher carbon content than the 8640 steel noted on other tools.

"Obstructo" S-Shaped Box Wrenches

"Obstructo" S-Shaped Box-End Wrenches

Herbrand offered a series of distinctive S-shaped box wrenches under the "Obstructo" brand,
emphasizing the ability of the tool to work in limited clearance.

6827 Flex-Box Socket Wrench

Fig. 103 below shows an early example of the Herbrand "Flex-Box" double-flex socket wrench,
the model 6827 with size 5/8x3/4.
The wrench is marked "Made in U.S.A." with "Flex-Box" on the reverse,
and the overall length is 9.2 inches.

Combination Wrenches

The modern combination wrench with open and box ends was first developed in the 1930s,
and quickly became one of the most popular wrench styles.
Although most manufacturers agreed on a 15-degree offset angle for both ends,
Herbrand used a slightly different design,
keeping the 15-degree offset for the box end but using a 22.5 degree offset for the open end.
This larger offset angle,
together with the relatively short length and panelled handles,
gave their combination wrenches a distinctive appearance.

In keeping with the different design,
Herbrand also gave their wrenches a different name,
calling them "Multitype" instead of "Combination".
The wrenches proved to be popular and remained in production from the early 1930s
until at least the mid 1950s.
Later versions of the wrenches were given sharply defined depressed panels
instead of the smooth depression of the early models.

Eventually this design was phased out in favor of a more conventional
series of combination wrenches,
which received the same model numbers but with an appended "N" code.
(For "normal" perhaps?)

Fig. 105 shows another example of the Herbrand 1220 5/8 combination wrench,
stamped with "Herbrand" and "Van-Chrome" on the panelled shank,
with "Made in U.S.A." on the reverse.
The wrench is also marked with "CMS" forged into the shank adjacent to the box end.

The overall length is 6.5 inches,
and the finish is cadmium plating,
with extensive losses due to wear.

Although this particular wrench is not marked with their "Van-Chrome" trademark,
all of the Herbrand Multitype wrenches are believed to have been made from alloy steel.
Some examples are in fact marked Van-Chrome,
and an explanation for the marking differences has been found recently.

The reverse of this wrench (not shown) has a small forged-in marking "8742",
which has been identified as referring to AISI 8742 steel,
a nickel-chrome-moly triple alloy.
Such a steel would have been an equivalent or superior substitute for the
typical chrome-vanadium alloy,
but with no vanadium in use,
Herbrand omitted the Van-Chrome marking.

The overall length is 7.0 inches.
The finish is now plain steel with polished faces,
but the wrench may have had a plated finish originally.

As with the previous example,
the wrench is not marked with the Herbrand "Van-Chrome" trademark,
but in this case the forged-in "8742" code appears next to the box end.
With the use of AISI 8742 nickel chrome molybdenum steel,
Herbrand has omitted the "Van-Chrome" marking.

1226 13/16 "Multitype" Combination Wrench With 8742 Steel

Fig. 110 shows a Herbrand 1226 13/16 "Multitype" combination wrench,
stamped "Made in U.S.A." on the panelled handle,
with a forged-in "8742" code near the open end.

The overall length is 8.7 inches,
and the finish is nickel plating.

As with the previous examples,
the wrench is not marked with the Herbrand "Van-Chrome" trademark,
but has a forged-in "8742" code near to the open end.
With the use of AISI 8742 nickel chrome molybdenum steel,
Herbrand has omitted the "Van-Chrome" marking.

1220 "Multitype" Combination Wrench, Later Version

Later versions of the multitype wrenches were made with sharply-defined depressed panels,
rather than the shallow depressions of the early models.
The later wrenches also had a plated chrome finish instead of the earlier satin nickel,
but it's not known whether these changes were made at the same time.

Fig. 111. Herbrand 1220 5/8 "Multitype" Combination Wrench.

Fig. 111 at the left shows a Herbrand 1220 5/8 "Multitype" combination wrench,
marked "Made in U.S.A." on the panelled handle in the later style.

The overall length is 6.5 inches.
The wrench is finished in chrome plating with polished ends.

Note that the depressed panel in the handle has a well-defined outline with steep walls;
compare this with the shallow depression shown in the previous figures.

1232 "Multitype" Combination Wrench, Later Version

Fig. 112. Herbrand 1232 1 Inch "Multitype" Combination Wrench.

Fig. 112 at the left shows another example of a later model multitype wrench,
a Herbrand 1232 1 inch wrench with "Made in U.S.A." on the panelled handle.

The overall length is 14.5 inches.
The wrench is finished in chrome plating with polished ends.

1209-M Metric Combination Wrench

Herbrand also produced metric sized wrenches using the Multitype design.

1224SH Combination Wrench

Herbrand redesigned its combination wrenches in the 1950s and adopted the familiar standard
15 degree angles for both ends.
The new design also featured a V-shaped gullet for the open end,
and the wrenches were given a full-polish finish.
The model numbers remained in the 12xx series,
but with an appended code to indicate the new style:
N for standard, L for long, S for short, and H for a 6-point (hex) broaching.

Fig. 114. Herbrand 1224SH 3/4 Short Combination Wrench.

Fig. 114 at the left shows an example of the new style,
a Herbrand 1224SH 3/4 short combination wrench with a 6-point broaching.
The wrench is marked "Van Chrome" with the Herbrand script logo,
with "Made in U.S.A." on the shank.

The overall length is 8.1 inches,
and the finish is polished chrome.

1218LH Combination Wrench

Fig. 115. Herbrand 1218LH 9/16 Long Combination Wrench.

Another example of the later style is shown in Fig. 115,
a Herbrand 1218LH 9/16 long-format combination wrench with a 6-point broaching.
The wrench is marked "Van Chrome" with the Herbrand script logo,
with "Made in U.S.A." on the shank.